The Star on the Grave

by Linda Margolin Royal

In 1940, as the Nazis sweep toward Lithuania, Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara defies his own government and secretly issues thousands of visas to Jewish refugees desperate to flee. After the war, Sugihara is dismissed and disappears into obscurity.

Three decades later, in Australia, Rachael Margol, her father and her grandmother live disconnected from one another and haunted by unspoken tragedies. When Rachel announces her engagement to a Greek Orthodox man, it detonates a long-held secret. The Margols are actually the Margolins: they are Jewish, and her family has concealed their identity from her and the world. But why? As Rachel struggles to understand this deception, an opportunity arrives to visit Chiune Sugihara, the man who risked his life to save them during World War II. Rachel becomes determined to meet him, but will a journey to Japan, and the secrets it uncovers, heal the Margolins or fracture them for good?

An extraordinary novel inspired by the true story of Chiune Sugihara, and the thousands of people – including the author – who owe him their lives.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Holocaust, World War II, Historical, Fiction, Jewish, Book Club

432 pages, Paperback

Published January 30, 2024

Reviews

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1940, the Germans are poised to invade Lithuania, Chiune Sugihara is the Vice-Consul for the Japanese Empire in Kaunas, and he defies his own government's orders and secretly issues thousands of transit visas to Jewish refugees desperate to flee.

In 1968, Rachel Margol works as a nurse in Sydney, Australia and she loves her vibrant grandmother Feika and she doesn’t have a very good relationship with her father Michael. Rachel becomes engaged to Dr. Yamni Poulos, her grandmother decides she has to tell Rachel the truth, she’s Jewish, despite going to a Catholic school and never stepping foot in a synagogue and her fiancée is an Orthodox Greek.

When Feika and Michael arrived in Australia they changed their name from Margolin to Margol and never spoke about their life in Poland, Lithuania and Japan. Rachel feels like her whole world has fallen apart, why they didn't tell her she’s Jewish sooner, her grandmother Feika is going to a reunion in Japan to see Chiune Sugihara, the man who saved their lives and Rachel decides to go with her.

They arrive in Japan, Rachel can't get over how clean it is, she’s shocked to discover her grandmother can speak Japanese and their greeted at their hotel by their tour guide Mizumi. The first place Feika wants to visit is the Jewish Cemetery, they have a rest and meet up with other survivors and many are friends of her grandmothers.

Rachel talks to Judit, she explains what life was like in Poland before the war, once the Germans invaded they slowly started taking away Jewish people’s rights and it got much worse, and that’s why Rachel’s grandparents fled to Lithuania with their son and obtained a transit visa to Japan.

I received a digital copy of the Star on the Grave by Linda Margolin Royal from Affirm Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The author’s debut novel uses real facts to create the interesting and informative narrative, how Chiune Sugihara disobeying orders, and he wrote by hand visas for thousands for Jewish refugees stranded in Lithuania, he saved their lives, including the author’s family and he’s a little known hero.

Many survivors didn’t talk about what happened to them during the Holocaust, this is what happened with the Margolin family, the story looks at the impact trauma had on people, especially children, many witnessed shocking things, the effects of this were passed on to subsequent generations and many had fears of certain situations or things.

Five stars from me, a well written and enlightening debut by Linda Margolin Royal and I enjoyed reading about Jewish traditions, ceremonies and rituals, Feika was my favourite character in the book and I'm sure the author's family are extremely proud of her.

[Neale · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Sydney 1968 everything changes when Rachel Margol finds out her name is Rachel Margolin. Everything changes when Rachel finds out she is Jewish. Her fiancé and his family are devoutly Greek Orthodox, and when they find out, the wedding is immediately put on hold,

Rachel’s father and grandmother had hidden her heritage from her attempting to protect her from racism, discrimination and antisemitism. However once Rachel’s beloved grandmother, Felka, finds out about the wedding, she defies Rachel’s father and tells her the truth. Rachel is devastated, mourning the loss of her culture and identity, struggling to understand why such deception was necessary. So much loss the cost of this protection. Ultimately it drives a wedge between father and daughter.

Felka is dying from cancer and wants to take a trip to Japan to meet the man who saved her and her family from the Nazis. Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat, defied his own government and issued visas to thousands of Jews enabling them to escape Lithuania to Japan.

Rachel, still struggling with the truth, decides to travel with her grandmother to Japan. There she learns of the horrors of the holocaust and antisemitism. The plight and struggle of the Jews and her grandmother’s generation. But she also learns about Judaism and family.

This is a novel about heritage and family. Racism and persecution. The enormous differences and lack of tolerance between religions and cultures. But also, about relationships between family members, especially father and daughter. About misplaced guilt, forgiveness, and ultimately healing.

This wonderful debut novel is based on the author’s own family and their escape. I hope that many people read this and learn of Sugihara’s heroic deed.

[Gloria (Ms. G's Bookshelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️4.5 Stars⭐️

The Star on the Grave by Linda Margolin Royal is an exceptional and beautifully told tale, inspired by the true story of Chiune Sugihara a Japanese diplomat who saved thousand of Jewish lives during WWII by issuing visas to them so they could flee Europe. A highly recommended read for historical fiction lovers and anyone that loves a good story. The cover with it’s purple hues and gold foil is stunning. I just love it when as well as having an entertaining read as a bonus I learn something about history that I wasn’t aware of.

Rachel Margot a nurse in Sydney Australia 1968 is shocked when her grandmother reveals a family secret after she hears of Rachel’s engagement to a Greek doctor. Her whole life has been a lie and she doesn’t know who she is anymore.

An opportunity comes along to meet Chiune Sugihara overseas and Rachel is determined to see him.

An amazing debut, I loved Rachel’s grandmother Felka’s character and their trip to Japan where there were many Jewish traditions and a loving community. The story captured Rachel’s relationships with her family in such a moving way. What an absorbing read, I can’t wait to read more by this author in the future whose family incredibly escaped the Holocaust.

Publication Date 30 January 2024
Publisher Affirm Press

Thank you so much to the wonderful team at Affirm Press for sending this book my way. 🙏🏻

[Talia Mowszowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept my 100th book of the year for a special read, a story about Chiune Sugihara, the man who saved my family.

We will forever honor his legacy as the reason we are all here.

A wonderful read - recommend to all!

[Liat M · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a story of a man that not many people would have heard of but for me and my family, he is the most important person in the world. He is the reason that my family and so many others, including the author, are alive today.

Linda’s book touches on many different elements; there’s the story of survival but there’s also the story of loss and trauma.

For so many people, trauma is something that has followed us around for generations. There’s the daily fear that you can loose everything in a moment, just because someone doesn’t like what you believe.

I feel like Linda captured that very well in this book with the relationship that Rachel had with her father and how different that relationship was with her grandmother.

This is not your typical WWII/Holocaust novel and I’m so grateful to Linda for sharing Chiune Sugihara’s story with the world!

[Denise Newton · Rating 4 out of 5]

UNLIKELY CONNECTIONS: ‘THE STAR ON THE GRAVE’ BY LINDA MARGOLIN ROYAL

Did you know that six thousand Jewish refugees were saved from murder at the hands of Nazis during WWII by escaping Europe via Japan? And that they were able to do so by the actions of a brave and committed Japanese diplomat, Chiune Sugihara, who in defiance of his government’s express orders, wrote transit visas for desperate people trying to flee from Lithuania.

He was helped in this by an official from the Netherlands, who supplied documents allowing refugees to travel through the Dutch colony of Curacao, and from there to Japan. From Japan, individuals and families found refuge in countries such as the USA and Australia.

I had never heard of either of these individuals, whose courageous and compassionate actions have been lost in the stories of that terrible war. And the connection between Japan, Poland, Lithuania and Australia seems unlikely, doesn’t it?

The Jews whose lives they saved included the author’s own family: her father and grandparents fled Poland to Lithuania, and were amongst those who owed their lives to Sugihara and the Dutch man Jan Zwartendijk. Rachael wrote this book, her first novel, to tell their story and that of the men who saved them.

In the novel, the main character Rachel is a young nurse who lives with her widowed father and has a close relationship with her Polish grandmother, Felka, whom she adores. It is Sydney in 1968. Rachel has been brought up as a Christian, attended a Catholic school, and is engaged to marry Yanni, a doctor at the hospital where she works.

When she tells Felka that she must convert to Yanni’s religion of Greek Orthodoxy on their marriage, her grandmother’s reaction is bewildering and confusing. Then Felka announces her plan to attend a reunion of friends in Japan, and asks Rachel to accompany her. She is puzzled. What is this ‘reunion’, and why Japan?

When she is told the truth of her family, she is incredulous. Her father and grandparents were among those able to get out of Europe because of Mr Sugihara. And they are Jewish. The trip to Japan is for survivors to meet with Mr Sugihara, to thank him for their lives.

Rachel’s shock and sense of betrayal at having been lied to her entire life are profound. Slowly, she begins to understand the reasons why her father and Felka did what they did: to protect her, so that she would never know the hatred and anti-Semitism that they had experienced.

She travels to Japan with Felka and there, hearing the stories of the other people saved by Sugihara, she grapples with the questions of who she is and what the revelation of being Jewish means: does it bring a heritage of suffering and loss, or of family, tradition and deep connection? Or all of those things?

And how has the trauma experienced by her surviving family members manifested in their personalities, their relationships and approaches to life?

These are all deep, deep questions she must face, and all at once. It is difficult and painful. Through travelling to Japan with Felka, listening to the people she meets there, and reappraising her own beliefs, Rachel finds some acceptance and a strong desire to learn more.

Initially, I thought Rachel’s ignorance of the events of WWII, the Nazi persecutions and concentration camps, the murders and unspeakable cruelties, was somewhat disingenuous. But I reminded myself that Rachel had come to adulthood barely twenty years after the war. She was taught the minimum details of the conflict at school, and not knowing of her personal connection to those events, did not seek to learn more. And many, many survivors, refugees and veterans, were reluctant to talk about their experiences, preferring to try to forget, to move on with life.

The Star on the Grave is a moving story of one family, fictionalised but inspired by her own, in a surprising and little-known chapter of that global conflict. I found it absorbing, and I hope to read future works by Ms Margolin Royal.

The Star on the Grave is published by Affirm Press in January 2024.
My thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a review copy.

[Ellen (the_plentiful_library) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thing I love most about historical fiction books is that they are so often based on real life events and I find myself learning something new with every read.

My favourite part of this book was learning about Chiune Sugihara and how he saved the lives of thousands of Jewish people by issuing them visas into Japan against government orders.

The Star on the Grave is not Sugihara's story though, it's Rachel Margolin's, a descendant of one of the people saved by Sugihara. Rachel finds out at 20 that she is Jewish which turns her world upside down and leaves her feeling like she's lost her identity. Rachel travels to Japan with her Grandma Felka to learn more about her new found religion and culture and to thank the man without whom she wouldn't exist.

Ultimately I felt there were too many storylines in this book and with only 271 pages most of them felt incomplete and not enough time spent on any of them for me to become truly invested in the characters. I found this to be a really interesting read but just lacked that emotional punch for me.

[Ziva Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written story intertwining history & fiction. Couldn't put it down once I started reading it.
With so much hatred and anti semitism in the world, it is important to see how one person doing the right thing can change so many lives.
Thank you Linda for telling the story and thank you Chiune Sugihara for issuing my grandparents and my father a transit visa in July 1940! We are eternally grateful

[Shreedevi Gurumurty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chiune Sugihara's school taught its students the following code:
1. Don't be a burden to others.
2. Take care of others.
3. Do not expect rewards for your goodness.
After university graduation, Sugihara rose through the ranks and became Vice Chief of the Foreign Ministry in Manchuria, which the Japanese had conquered and renamed Manchukuo.Many Chinese were murdered during Occupation, and Sugihara, disgusted at this inhuman treatment and the Japanese military’s influence in the government, resigned his position there.The Japanese Foreign Ministry eventually posted Chiune Sugihara as the Japanese consul in Kaunas,Lithuania.Issuing visas was actually secondary to what was expected of Consul Sugihara in this job; the Japanese government was interested in having him spy on what the Germans and Soviets were up to.But then came the day when Sugihara awoke to find a large crowd of Jews waiting outside his consulate. These Jews hoped to obtain transit visas that were necessary to leave the Soviet Union and would enable them to stay temporarily in Japan on the way to their final destinations.The consul could not ignore the imploring faces of the people outside his gate.He consulted with his wife and made the decision to disobey his government’s orders.He knew what the consequences of his action would be, but Sugihara decided he was morally obligated to risk his future to save these human lives and endured in his decision to issue visas.Postwar, the Soviets placed the Sugihara family in a series of internment camps before finally allowing them to return to Japan.After a life of luxury as a diplomat, Sugihara was now on his own, jobless in ravaged postwar Japan. Later, he was able to put his Russian to use, working in Moscow for a trading company. He never regretted his actions for a moment,and he was visited and thanked by some of the Jews who survived because of his lifesaving visas.
Jan Zwartendijk was a Dutch businessman and also a diplomat.As director of the Philips factories in Lithuania and part-time acting consul of the Dutch government-in-exile, he supervised the writing of visas for Curacao to save Jews from the Holocaust.

[Yumiko Tsuji · Rating 3 out of 5]

I initially wanted to give this book four stars, but I found it somewhat disappointing as I had high expectations based on the true story it presents. It was recommended to me by someone, and I was particularly interested due to its connection to Japan. Having read several books about the Holocaust, I had anticipated a lot from this one.

However, I found the protagonist, Rachel, to be somewhat self-indulgent, which made it difficult for me to feel fully sympathetic toward her. I believe the story could have been portrayed more closely to real life instead of dramatizing characters like Rachel and her father, Michael. While I understand that Michael was likely a damaged person because of the Holocaust, I struggled to engage with his emotions.

My review may come across as harsh, but I genuinely believe the book could have been written in a way that would have drawn me in more.

I've noticed that books about the Holocaust tend to sell more easily than other immigrant stories. For example, the Polish immigrant story "Neither King Nor Saint: A Man and His Daughter's Search for Peace" is less popular, but I found it more engaging compared to the Holocaust narratives.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It amazes me that no matter how many historical fiction books I read about WWII I’m still learning more and more.

This novel is based on the authors own family and is inspired by true events. Set in 1968, we read about Rachel’s relationship with her grandmother, her issues with her father and how she travels to Japan with her grandmother to meet the man who saved their lives. On this trip to Japan, Rachel learns about her families past that she never knew about. It’s quite an amazing story.

I had never heard of Chiune Sugihara before. This man was a Japanese diplomat at the embassy in Lithuania, who defied his government and illegally issued transit visas to thousands of Jews so they could flee to Japan.
Incredible.

This is a wonderfully written debut, thank you for sharing your families story with us Linda.

Thank you @affirmpress for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Judi Berman]

What a wonderful thoughtful and sensitively told story about one of the “good guys”.
Sugihara, or ‘the Japanese Schindler’, as he’s otherwise known, was an ordinary human being, who did the ‘extraordinary’, when dealing with matters of life and death.
Like the many other ‘Righteous Gentiles’ who helped fellow humans facing extreme racism and barbarism of the Nazi era, he chose not to turn a blind eye, but instead to put himself in harm’s way, in order to save innocent victims of religious based persecution.
Linda has clearly told this story, which is so close to her heart, from a place of deep love and respect for this man, to whom she owes her life.
Well done on a fabulous debut novel!

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 7. A true story of a little known Japanese diplomat, who granted Jews fleeing Poland (and Hitler) through Lithuania, transit visas through Japan against his government’s explicit instructions and one of the families he saved. The author is writing about her own family and their flight to freedom. A very good read. I had to buy another book at Auckland Airport as I’d nearly finished it. 🤓📚 #tsreadinglist2024 #tsrecommendations

[Annette Chidzey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book as part of a selection made during a book tour in 2024 but have only opted to read it now. The writing though animated was not as engaging as the insights into the life and actions of Chiune Sugihara upon whom this novel is founded.
To learn about this individual’s courageous actions in the face of great danger was to replicate the admiration for other more well known heroes such as Oscar Schindler whose readiness to help Jews in dire situations during the Holocaust is genuinely hard to comprehend. I was pleased to learn about this individual and his role in enabling so many more to live beyond this time because of the courage he possessed.
Worth at least a 3.5.

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

“ I don’t live in the past, the past lives in me.”

Yet another Holocaust story ...seems to be a plethora being published before the last of the survivors are gone.
An emotionally story articulately told and set in the Sydney area I grew up in...I loved the nokedli & scrambled eggs !!

[Sue Grunstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an engaging read and a tale well told! A great way of learning more about the work of a true saviour. Highly recommend this book.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful. Interesting to learn more about Chiune Sugihara who risked his life to save so many, many people in WW11. Easy to read. It totally captured my attention. Highly recommended

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Rachel Mowszowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story about Chiune Sugihara, the man who saves my family!

We will forever honor is legacy as the reason we are all here!

A wonderful read!!! Recommend to ALL!

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an avid reader of historical fiction, I loved this novel. Set in 1960s Sydney against the backdrop of 1940s wartime and its impacts, it is the story of Rachel Margol who is shocked to uncover the long-held family secret that she is Jewish. Her world is turned upside down including her identity, personal history and recent engagement.

Through this, she also learns about Japanese diplomat, Chiune Sugihara, who risked his life to secretly issue visas to Jewish refugees fleeing Europe. And how her own family owes their lives to this man.

Based on a true story - and one that the author owes her life to - this is an engaging and astutely observed first time author novel. Traversing various countries as well as providing a beautifully drawn account of 60s inner city Sydney, it makes for fascinating reading on cultural identity and the impacts of wartime, earlier family histories and secrets on the present time.

Advance copy provided by publisher Affirm Press in exchange for a fair review.

[Tonia Keyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw an interview with the author about this book recently which piqued my interest about the book. While it was a little clunky at times (1st book by the author) the true story of a good Japanese man saving thousands of lives during WW2 at great personal risk to himself and his family sat in direct contrast to the experience of trauma inflicted on so many thousands of Australians on the Burma railway. Including my own grandfather.

[Bec · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

[Chantelle B Pearce · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful, emotional story about the intergenerational trauma experienced by so many Jewish families after the Holocaust. The Author’s Note at the end of the novel confirms that most of the book is based on the events of her family members during World War II. Heart-wrenching, and an insight into the Japanese involvement in the war.

[Kas Sommers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A compelling story which I've not heard before about Sugihara. I hope it becomes a film.

Only three stars because of the writing. I wanted more of the meat of the tale - the journey from Poland to Lithuania to Japan and eventually to Australia. That travel during WWII must have been epic, but is missing from this book.

[HEATHER WILKINS · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learnt about Sugihara - a brave and worthy man.
I was also fascinated by the insight into generational trauma.
Unfortunately, the sexual elements mean that I cannot recommend this book to my friends,

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review by Laura Hynes

I love this book. The characters are so real and engaging and the powerful storyline flows so well.
This made the book easy to read and become connected. It gives the reader so much information about an extremely heroic Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara who not enough people are aware of.  
Like Schindler, he too was a humanitarian with a kind heart who risked his own life to save over 6000 Jewish people from Nazi persecution by issuing visas to them …  despite orders to the contrary 
Linda tells this fictional story basing it on the real experience of her own father and Grandparents They were among these lucky Sugihara visa recipients 
The story tracks a trip to Japan by the grandmother Felka and son Michael , years after the war, in the hope of finding Sugihara to thank him for saving their lives. Michael’s dsughter also goes with them 
The book clearly illustrates how trauma scars can affect generational relationships within families 

I was already aware of this amazing yet humble hero Chiune Sugihara. Like Linda I too owe such gratitude to this wonderful man and his supportive wife, as he is the reason I am alive today. My own father was also one of the lucky recipients of a visa.  The author’s story echoes my own experience with my father who had survivors guilt, as many did  But in addition, Linda’s story expanded my knowledge about some of the other families of “Sugihara survivors”

  He has sometimes been called the Japanese Schindler . 
There are many documentaries about him but not a movie yet. I agree with Linda and believe a movie based on this book would bring this must tell story to life .  A movie would humanise this noble man and the people he saved, and it would become even more relatable. 
Thomas Keneally who wrote Schindler s Ark wrote this about Linda’s book:

“An extraordinary tale, elegantly told”

High praise indeed! 

In these times now of increasing antisemitism, this is a timely reminder that what we thought would never happen again, is happening again.  But this time never again means standing up to  antisemitism.

I highly recommend this well written and enlightening book by Linda Margolin Royal 

Sugihara is recognized as a hero by many in Israel, Lithuania and Japan …  especially all the descendants of the Jewish refugees he saved.  In Israel he is celebrated as one of the righteous among nations, and in Japan there are many museums and tourist sites preserving Sugihara’s life, the burial site is beautifully maintained and many of us who are grateful to be alive have added our stones. Also the evidence of the Jewish presence during their transit time in 1941 has been preserved (as much as possible ) in Tsurago and Kobe
Chiune Sugihara’s son Nobuki is as kindhearted as his father , as are his wife and family,  who continue to give back to all the grateful survivors . 

[Dr. Mehak Burza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Linda Margolin Royal’s debut novel, “The Star on the Grave” is a compelling historical fiction that brings to light the little known yet extraordinary actions of Chiune Sugihara. A Japanese diplomat, Mr. Sugihara defied his government to save thousands of Jewish refugees during World War II. This deeply moving narrative intertwines personal history with significant historical events, providing readers with a rich and immersive experience.

The novel is structured majorly around two primary timelines. The first takes place in 1940 Lithuania, where Sugihara, stationed at the Japanese consulate, begins issuing visas to Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazi regime. This courageous act not only saved lives but also left a profound legacy that resonates through the decades.

The second timeline is set in 1968 Sydney, where the readers meet Rachel Margol, whose life is turned upside down when she discovers that her family has hidden her Jewish heritage from her. This revelation comes to light when her engagement to a Greek Orthodox man is jeopardized by this newfound knowledge. The journey of self-discovery from Rachel Margol to Rachel Margolin is further complicated by her dying grandmother, Felka, who wishes to visit Japan to thank Sugihara for his heroism.

Linda skilfully navigates these parallel narratives, using them to explore themes of identity, family, and the long shadow of historical trauma. Rachel's trip to Japan with Felka becomes a poignant journey into her family's past, revealing the complexities of their survival and the weight of the secrets they carried.

The author’s depiction of Sugihara’s actions is both detailed and reverent, shedding light on a lesser-known but crucial aspect of Holocaust history. Through Felka’s stories and Rachel’s discoveries, the novel illustrates the enduring impact of Sugihara’s bravery and the profound gratitude of those he saved.

“The Star on the Grave” is more than just a historical recount; it is a narrative about the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of understanding one’s heritage. Linda’s writing is evocative and heartfelt, making the historical periods come alive with vivid descriptions and well-drawn characters. It is a remarkable debut that combines historical depth with emotional resonance. It is a testament to the power of memory and the importance of honouring those who stood up against injustice risking their own lives.

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was led to this novel by the review written by one of my Chief Reading Enablers, Lisa
https://anzlitlovers.com/2025/08/30/t... . And through this novel, I learned of another aspect of World War II. Before I read this novel, I knew nothing about the six thousand Jewish refugees saved from the Nazis who had escaped Europe via Japan. I had not heard of Chiune Sugihara, whose actions in defiance of the Japanese government’s orders, wrote transit visas for those fleeing Lithuania. Similarly, I had not heard of Jan Zwartendijk, an official of the Netherlands, who provided documents allowing these refugees to travel through Curacao to Japan. And I was unaware that some of those refugees found refuge in Australia.

Ms Margolin Royal, a descendant of one of the refugee families, tells their story.

In the late 1960s, Rachel Margol, her widowed father Michael and grandmother Felka live in Sydney. After Rachel, a nurse, announces her engagement to Yanni, a Greek Orthodox doctor with whom she works, Felka tells Rachel that she is Jewish, not Christian as she thought. The family name is Margolin, not Margol. Rachel’s father is angry with his mother for disclosing this, and Rachel is confused. Rachel is told that a Japanese official, Chiune Sugihara saved the lives of her family, and Felka plans a trip to Japan, to meet with friends and to visit Chiune Sugihara. Rachel accompanies her.

The story unfolds gradually and carefully. Rachel learns more about her family history and why her father has been so distant.

I read this novel at a time when antisemitism is increasing in Australia, at a time when many Jewish people feel unsafe and Jewish schools and synagogues are being attacked. Rachel’s family tried to protect her from the antisemitism they experienced and yet, in the real world outside the novel, antisemitism is again increasing. In the novel, Rachel learns of her family’s suffering, of her heritage, and of powerful traditions.

From Ms Margolin Royal’s author note:

‘Despite Chiune Sugihara’s and Jan Zwartendijk’s actions, few have heard of these brave, selfless individuals. I feel, given I owe my life to them, that they deserve the same recognition as Oskar Schindler.’

I found this novel deeply moving.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have categorised The Star on the Grave as historical fiction because it is derived from historical events, but I read it more through a lens on the contemporary issues it explores.
Readers with long memories may remember my review of The Just (2021), by Jan Brokken, translated by David McKay. This is the first paragraph from my review:

"It seems extraordinary that today, so many years after the Holocaust, there are still stories of heroism coming to light. The Just, first published in 2018 as De rechtvaardigen but now available in an English translation by David McKay, is the story of the Dutch Honorary Consul Jan Zwartendijk and his Japanese counterpart, Chiune Sugihara who in the period 16 July – 3 August 1940 enabled the escape of thousands of Jews by providing them with transit documentation and visas out of Lithuania."

Rarely has family history or a story derived from the Holocaust been so effectively repurposed as a novel as Linda Margolin Royal has done with The Star on the Grave. It is not a story about the death or labour camps. They are there in the sense that those camps are the fate from which those Lithuanian Jews escape, and there are allusions to those whose entire extended family was exterminated, but knowledge of the horror of the Holocaust is assumed.

Based on real life, this is a story that follows on from the actions of an heroic man who risked his life to help Jews escape. It has contemporary resonance because it tells the story of a family so traumatised by European antisemitism that they conceal their origins, not just from the society in which they make a new postwar home, but also from their own descendants.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2025/08/30/t...

[Brett Cohen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book spoke to me personally in so many ways. My own Jewish family was spared all of the trauma of the shoah in Europe (as British Jews who’d gone to England from towns all along the Rhine in the 1850s) but like the central character …I found out that I had “Roman Catholic” connections when I was 14 - namely a different father to the one on my birth certificate and a very big opened-armed Sicilian family waiting in the wings. So I absolutely loved the story that Linda’s central character wove - that of a young “Catholic” woman coming to terms with her newly discovered Jewish identity and the dramatic events that led her family from Nazi occupied Europe - to Japan and eventually to safety in Sydney.

I don’t want to spoil things here for readers - but this book tells the tale of a Japanese diplomat who is based in one of the Baltic States who defied official orders by handing out transit visas for Jews trying to escape the Nazi cage that was descending around Europe in general and around her family as Polish Jews in particular.

It’s a story not unlike the better known book about Oskar Schindler (also written by an Australian - Thomas Keneally - whose enthusiastic foreword in “The Star on the Grave” helped nudge me into buying the book and turning the pages on what turned out to be a more interesting and very personally-identifiable read for me than I could ever have expected.

I loved this book. And it seems clear to me that there is an epic story waiting to be told in the sequels and the prequels that I hope are in the pipeline.